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Re: USB Oscilloscope/Logic Analyzer

Would emphatically recommend against bitscope.

Here was my last response to them:

a) It restricts me at setting logic capture to a max of 10 MSps. The spec on it says it can do 40 Msps.
b) If I set it to 10Msps, I can capture a max of 602 microseconds. Not milliseconds, microseconds...
c) If I instead change it to 1 second capture, it drops my maximum capture rate to 6 Ksps.

I'm thinking it can't possibly be this bad - with a Salaea you can easily capture > 1 million times that.

They replied and said:

The BitScope Micro has a 6k sample buffer for a single frame, and that's what controls the rate/duration settings.

If you want to sample and display in real time, you're bound by the size of the buffer. You do have the option of streaming the data to disk for analysis after the capture is done.. basically the same trick a Saleae logic analyzer uses. It looks like the streaming rate is capped at 200ksps though.

So no. It's a toy. It's less than a toy. It's a toy that you use to test toys.

So for Logic Analyzer your best bet by far is Saleae. Check ebay.

For combo, I use a Quantasylum QA100. It's decent. There's now a QA101 with better specs, but I can't quite justify the upgrade yet.

Re: USB Oscilloscope/Logic Analyzer

If you are mainly working with digital signals as found in this hobby, I would strongly recommend a Saleae logic probe - not a scope.

I own 4 scopes and have not used any of them in the last several years working on pixel controllers. I use my Saleae 16 port logic probe all the time.

I don't recommend the Saleae 4 port (about $100 - but not the performance you want) nor do I recommend the Saleae 16 port -- the most I have ever captured was 5 channels.

Saleae has an 8 port model for around $200 and that is the one I would recommend.

Watch any ebay pricing for Saleae products that are 30 to 50% of the prices above and if they come from China.

China has made clones of Saleae products and offer them at very reduced prices but they expect you to go to the Saleae website and use their software. I believe Saleae has taken steps to detect a clone and not let the software operate.

I suggest you get a REAL Saleae device. The people at Saleae are very helpful and will provide live phone support for their product.

Saleae software will allow you to capture signals at hi-speed sample rates and continue capturing for long time periods (well in to seconds). Their software comes with analyzers that can be run on port captured data and display the results for many standard protocols - like I2C, SPI, etc.

Re: USB Oscilloscope/Logic Analyzer

I second..or third...the Saleae products. Sure it can't match a good Tek or Keysight scope, but I use it all the time for looking at edges on digital signals. Customer support is second to none (I blew out one of my inputs...they replaced it), and even have a SDK if you want to interface it using some other method. I own the original 8 bit unit and also the 8bit Pro

TBH I went for this because I thought one would be useful (it turned out to be invaluable), I wasn’t sure if I was clever enough to use one (it turned out to be really easy) and if at the end of the day it sat on the shelf it was only $10. I would estimate the captures are good 99% of the time, sometimes it just looks visibly wrong and a second capture confirms this but hey what do you expect for the money.